Sometimes it isn't the cards you're dealt that's important, but how you play the hand!

Blog - August 2007

Taxing Deadlines

Posted on 31 August 2007 at 11:18

It is that time of year again, where the adverts will soon be in full swing, reminding people to fill in their tax returns within the next month so that the tax man can help with the calculation on tax. If not, they will warn, you will have to do it yourself! To many people, that seems quite daunting, and so they will pull together all of the information and meet the deadline. For the others, they have until January to do the same, with added tension of doing their own calculations (or asking their accountants to do it for them!). Funnily enough, many of this second group will wait until January to pull together the information, and once again the tax office will be flooded with data at the last minute. So why do we do this? What is it about us that needs a deadline?

As human beings we really value a challenge. We only need to look at how far we have evolved and how rapid the current pace of change to recognise that we have a basic human need to push ourselves just a little bit further each day. Interestingly, treatments for depression these days often include some target setting and regular mild exercise, creating some change and activity for the individual to very positive ends. Research has also shown that people perform best at work where there is a strong need for achievable delivery and constant stimulation.

For me, the two important words there are achievable and constant. Where stress occurs, we frequently find that goals of the individual, either self imposed or organisationally imposed, are either very difficult or impossible to meet. Alternatively, the level of 'stimulation' in the workplace, sometimes being the importance of the work, has significantly increased from the normal level, or is fluctuating to the extent that the individual is no longer clear about differences in particular pieces of work, and is trying to achieve too much. Clearly, setting clear, realistic goals for staff and keeping a consistent review policy are two relatively simple ways to create a positive environment for staff.

Coming back to the taxman. In this case, the goals are set well in advance, and the advertising draws people's attention to it and provides choice for the individual. When you do the work is down to you. Whilst I can say I have yet to find doing a tax return an exciting experience, I can say that there are times where I have felt a great sense of satisfaction in having achieved the submission of the form on time, in full.

How could your staff become more satisfied with the conclusion of their pieces of work?

 

How Can we Help Our Customers?

Posted on 29 August 2007 at 15:02

There is a hardware store in my village, which seems to be very successful. It opens 6 days a week, and there is usually someone in there buying. It struck me as odd that, in the days of village shops closing and even grocery stores struggling to make ends meet, a hardware store should survive. So what is it that makes the difference in this store?

Well, it is related to a bigger chain, and so it can offer branded goods at reasonable prices. It is also run by the owner, and so margins are within his direct control. But these are things that many shops have.

What makes the difference, I believe, is that the owner, and his staff, seem to know everything about every product. They also seem to have a much better than average knowledge of how you might use the product, what the alternatives are and things you might just want to look out for. So you leave the shop quite confident that the product you have just bought can do the job.

The other part of this is that they offer a very personalised service. If you just want to go in, select your items, pay and leave, that is fine. If you ask for help, it is given willingly. And if you are looking for the right product, and have been for some time, they will quietly come up and enquire if they can assist. And as they engage you in conversation, more often than not you will find yourself gently guided to the right part of the shop.

If they don't have what you need, they will offer to get it in for you, often with a couple of days wait time.

It is a quiet shop, no music playing, no loud chatter, just a complete focus on the customer and their needs today, and a reorder policy that seems to work amazingly well.

If you compare your business with this one, what could you learn, and how could change what you currently do for the better?

If you have any comments please contact us.